Skip to content
Waxed Display Server

No D-Bus, No SystemD

Done

Minimal dependencies, only SeatD required

Category: Architecture
Version: v1.0.0
Status: Done

No D-Bus, No SystemD

No LoginD, no D-Bus, no SystemD dependencies. Only requires SeatD for seat management. Clean and lightweight by design.

Design Philosophy

Many Linux desktop components have grown to depend on a specific software stack. Waxed takes a different approach:

  • Minimal dependencies - Only what’s absolutely necessary
  • No daemon requirements - Waxed is self-contained
  • Portable design - Works across different init systems

What You DON’T Need

  • D-Bus - No message bus required
  • SystemD - Works with any init system
  • LoginD - Seat management via SeatD instead
  • PolicyKit - Built-in permission model (planned)

What You DO Need

  • SeatD - Minimal seat management daemon
  • Vulkan 1.3+ - Graphics API
  • Linux kernel - DRM/KMS support

Benefits

Simpler Deployment

  • Fewer moving parts to debug
  • Clearer failure modes
  • Easier containerization

Broader Compatibility

  • Works on non-SystemD distributions
  • Embedded and minimal systems
  • Custom init environments

Reduced Attack Surface

  • Fewer inter-process communications
  • Smaller dependency tree
  • Easier security auditing

SeatD Integration

SeatD is a minimal seat management daemon that Waxed integrates with for device access. Simply ensure SeatD is running and Waxed handles the rest automatically.